Identifying tools to investigate outcomes following an exacerbation of COPD

<b>Background:</b> Treatment of an exacerbation of COPD is not always successful. Identifying symptoms that associate with a treatment success could improve outcomes <b>Objectives:</b> To determine relationships between COPD treatment outcomes and VAS symptoms or biochemical indices using mathematical programming <b>Methods:</b> Data from a longitudinal exacerbation study was used to compare rates of symptom improvement to exacerbation treatment. Individual patient trajectories were calculated and ratios were calculated for recovery outcomes (exacerbation – post-treatment)/exacerbation for each event). A value of 0 indicated no improvement and a value closer to 1 indicated very good improvement. Histograms were produced, showing the scale of improvement, for cohorts of patient events stratified according to treatment type (antibiotics only, steroids only, antibiotics and steroid combination) <b>Results:</b> Patients on antibiotics treatment had the greatest rate of improvement if there was associated sputum purulence compared to those on steroids alone or on a combination of antibiotics and steroids. These results are then interrogated to discern common characteristics between patients who felt either markedly worse or much better <b>Conclusion:</b> MATLAB programming and statistical analysis, with input of detailed measurements of patients at each COPD event, provides a useful tool to help analyse and provide evidence for improved treatment prescriptions